Copyright Ó
2015 J. Neely
Psalm 36:4
4 He deviseth [chashab] mischief ['aven] upon his bed [mishkab]; he
setteth [yatsab] himself in a way [derek] that is not good [towb]; he
abhorreth [ma'ac] not evil [ra`]. KJV-Interlinear
4
He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he
does not reject evil. ESV
The summary of this
verse, is that all wickedness, all disregard of truth, all indifference, all
reluctance to learn, is not as a result of some spontaneous or emotional
action, it arises out of a calm and deliberate process. A pattern of intent, that spans across the
life of the individual.
The bed here, is
symbolized as the place of rest, of pondering, of peaceful methodical thinking and
relaxation, and privacy.
Devising mischief,
includes anything and everything that is not in compliance with truth,
doctrine, or the spiritual life. This
can range in anything from indifference to a daily study, or indifference toward
confession and spiritual function, to criminal activity, to lascivious
activities, to asceticism.
Mischief is a broad
spectrum of non-spiritual function and/or thinking.
He sets himself, refers
to the pattern of life in which the person establishes themselves. For example a king sets himself up in power,
or a criminal sets himself in crime, or a person sets themselves in habitual
drinking.
And so the wicked person
establishes themselves in the pattern of thinking and activity, which is
contrary to the spiritual life.
And what they pursue is
not good. Meaning they pursue the false
or the lies of life, rather than the good or truth.
Legitimate good is correctly
defined as, anything done while in fellowship.
If you are out of
fellowship, then anything you do, is not good.
The difference being, that in fellowship, anything done is within the
sphere of Gods will. While when out of
fellowship, then anything done is not in Gods will.
They do not reject evil,
means just that.
Evil is anything and
everything that exists outside of the divine sphere of the spiritual life.
And to reject evil means
to confess and get into fellowship. So,
when evil is not rejected, then the expectations of the spiritual life are
ignored. So you do not confess, or you
do not study, or you could care less about God or the Bible, or morals, and so
forth. Whatever it is that you appear to
be doing, spirit-wise, is mere pretense.
These things are not
spontaneous things. People make
conscious decisions either for or against the spiritual life. And, they make them over and over, again and
again, day after day, throughout their life.
Which simply means that no one has any excuse for making the mistake of
evil, because evil is chosen, not accidental.
